May, 2019 - WIZS

Oxford Board of Commissioners to Hear From Thornton on Proposed Budget

May 13, 2019/by WIZS Staff

-Information courtesy Cynthia Bowen, City Clerk, City of Oxford

The City of Oxford Board of Commissioners will hold their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room, City Hall in Oxford.

Agenda items include:

May Yard of the Month – Douglas & Dot Adcock of 114 Maluli Drive.

Proclamation for National Police Week.

Annual Historic Preservation Presentation – Anthony Armento.

Consider calling for a public hearing to be held at the June 11, 2019, Board meeting to consider a request by Lynwood Roberts Jr. to amend the Zoning Ordinance under sections 302.1 & 720 to convert an existing single-family dwelling into a two-family dwelling unit.

Receive proposed budget from City Manager Thornton. (A copy will be available on meeting night.)

Consider calling for a public hearing for the June 11, 2019, meeting to hear public input on the FY 2019-2020 budget.

Consider correcting journal entries to the Asset/Liabilities accounts.

Consider placing four portable crosswalk signs in the downtown area.

Consider adding two additional No U-Turn signs in the downtown area.

Consider authorizing the city manager to negotiate and sign a task order with Withers Ravenel for the 2019 City Resurfacing Project.

Consider authorizing a budget amendment to purchase a street sweeper.

Consider approving a budget amendment for $39,950.00.

Please click here for the full meeting agenda.

Register Now for H-V Rec & Parks Youth Summer Camp

May 13, 2019/by WIZS Staff

-Information courtesy Tara Goolsby, Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Facilities Supervisor, Aycock Recreation Center

Looking for a great place for summer activities for youth ages 5-13? Register for the Henderson-Vance Recreation & Parks Summer Camp 2019. Camp will be held from 7:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday from June 10 – August 9, 2019, at the Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.

Lunch will be provided weeks 2-8. Cost is $50 a week per child. Registration is underway; preregistration and pre-payment required.

5-year-old participants must have completed Kindergarten.

If you have any questions, please contact Tara Goolsby at 252.438.3948 or tgoolsby@ci.henderson.nc.us.

Make Plans to Attend the Got to Be NC Festival, May 17-19

May 13, 2019/by WIZS Staff

-Press Release, NCDA&CS

With more than 100 tractors, North Carolina food and beverages, music, a carnival and kids’ activities, the Got to Be NC Festival promises to be a not-to-be-missed event at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, May 17-19, 2019.

“The antique tractor and farm equipment display, featuring a daily tractor parade, and the Food Lion Local Goodness Marketplace are two of the unique highlights of the festival,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “We have one of the largest antique tractor displays in the Southeast, and the marketplace features around 80 North Carolina companies offering the opportunity to sample the delicious food and beverage products they offer.”

Hours for the Food Lion Local Goodness Marketplace are Friday from noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $3.

Visitors can see and hear tractors parade around the fairgrounds each day at 1 p.m., with all makes, ages and restorations of tractors featured.

New entertainment this year includes Danny Grant’s Cowboy Circus & The Soap Bubble Circus, both roving grounds acts; and a Feeder Pig display at the Pig Patch Birthing Center. Returning favorites are the racing pigs of the Hogway Speedway, Lauryn Zepeda with Gringo the Trick Pony, Ready, Set, Grow! Agri-tainment Magic Show, the Pig Patch birthing center, Agri-plaza, tractor pulls and the Kidz Corral activity area.

Tractor pull events are planned for Saturday and Sunday. A Kids’ Pedal Tractor Pull will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, with the Antique Tractor Pull later from 2 to 8 p.m. A Garden Tractor and Lawnmower Pull will be held Sunday from 2 to 8 p.m.

The carnival features one price, ride-all-day wristbands on Friday and Sunday. Cost is $20 for wristbands. In addition, a fireworks show will be held Friday and Saturday at 9:15 p.m.

On May 18, the festival will host the Carolina Bluegrass Battle. Traditional and contemporary bluegrass bands will compete for bragging rights and prizes. Also on May 18, the 14th Annual Masonic Carolina Pig Jig BBQ Cook-off will be held, with more than 20 Masonic chapters competing for top honors. At 11 a.m., the event opens to the public for an all-you-care-to-eat barbecue buffet. Guests make their way through the line-up of competition cookers to sample different styles and vote for their favorite. Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for ages 7-10 and free for kids 6 and under. Proceeds from the cookoff benefit the Masonic Home for Children at Oxford.

If you are planning to attend the 2019 State Fair, you can take advantage of the Casey’s Big Ticket Weekend offer and buy 2019 State Fair tickets for 2018 prices. Tickets are being sold at the Waterfall ticket booth. Cost is $8 for adults and $3 for children. Prices at the gate for 2019 will be $13 for adults and $7 for kids.

Festival hours are Friday, May 17, from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission and parking are free. More information is available at www.gottobencfestival.com.

2019 Salute to Student-Athletes Big Success For NCSHOF

May 13, 2019/by WIZS Staff

-Press Release, Granville County Public Schools

A total of 219 student-athletes from all over North Carolina and their chaperones were among the participants in the 2019 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s Salute To Student-Athlete Program.

The program recognizes students from across the state and exposes them to the many positive lessons to be learned from North Carolina’s outstanding sports heritage.

A total of 31 different schools from 21 different counties across the state were represented by the student-athletes who attended the program. Eight students from JF Webb High School attended the event and were sponsored through the Oxford Rotary Club on behalf of Bart Cleary, DDS and Joe Johnson of Builder’s Services.

Eight students from JF Webb High School attended the 2019 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame’s Salute To Student-Athlete event. The participants were sponsored through the Oxford Rotary Club on behalf of Bart Cleary, DDS and Joe Johnson of Builder’s Services. (Photo courtesy Granville Co. Public Schools)

The two-day event included a special reception and attendance at ceremonies where the newest class of inductees to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame was inducted at the Raleigh Convention Center. The following day, the student-athletes toured the state’s hall of fame exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History and participated in a seminar involving some of North Carolina’s most celebrated sports figures.

Speakers at the seminar included former UNC-Chapel Hill basketball star Phil Ford and current major league baseball umpire Joe West. There was also a special panel discussion featuring several members of the NCSHOF, including Ford, West, Dee Kantner, Eddie Bridges and Paul Miller.

The student-athletes were invited to sign up for Hall Pass, a free program that offers special opportunities. Each Hall Pass member receives interesting information about the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the state’s sports heritage, including a monthly newsletter and special features in advance before the general public. Any student-athlete can sign up to become a Hall Pass member by visiting www.ncshof.org and clicking on Hall Pass.

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame members inducted this year included golfer Davis Love III, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt, Jr; former pro football player and renowned artist Ernie Barnes, former high school coaches Thell Overman and Willie Bradshaw, hunting and fishing icon Eddie Bridges, college football coach Rod Broadway, athletic administrators Gene Corrigan and Neill McGeachy, high school and college wrestling coach Steve Gabriel, basketball official Dee Kantner and college football standout Paul Miller.

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Local Chambers Recognize 2018 Small Business of the Year Recipients

May 10, 2019/by Kelly Bondurant

The Henderson-Vance County Chamber of Commerce, along with the Franklin, Granville and Warren County Chambers and the Vance-Granville Community College Small Business Center, hosted the seventeenth annual Small Business Luncheon at the Henderson Country Club on Thursday, May 9, 2019.

The 2018 Small Business of the Year award recipients included Holland Industrial, Vance County; US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC, Granville County; Focus Design Builders, Franklin County; and Hardware Café, Warren County.

Holland Industrial receives the 2018 Vance County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Patrick Brame, Bobby Powell, Charles “Charlie” Brown and Vanessa Jones, interim president, Henderson-Vance Chamber. (WIZS photo)

Duke Energy was once again the presenting sponsor for this event. Tanya Evans, district manager for Duke Energy, thanked the small business owners and staff members for their contributions to the community and for their level of commitment.

“As a small business owner, you don’t get to turn it off at 5 p.m. and go home. This is a way of life for you and takes dedication and commitment,” Evans said.

Keynote speaker John Alston, owner of A&S Pest Control and winner of the Warren County Chamber’s 2008 Small Business of the Year award, spoke on his 42 years of success as a local small business owner.

“Success is not about how much money you make, it’s about the relationships you form and your enjoyment of the job you are doing,” Alston explained.

Alston said he felt blessed to have started a company that allows him to do what he enjoys while also providing financially for other families.

After hearing from Alston, Vanessa Jones, interim president of the Henderson-Vance Chamber, presented the 2018 Vance County award to electric motor and mechanical repair facility Holland Industrial.

Focus Design Builders receives the 2018 Greater Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Jonathan Williams, Paul Eitel and John Barnes, executive director, Greater Franklin Chamber. (WIZS photo)

Located on West Montgomery Street in Henderson, the “employee-owned” company was started by Charles S. Holland, Sr. in 1952 and has expanded to include 35 employees and a 150-mile sales territory today.

Now in its third generation of management, Holland President Charles “Charlie” Brown thanked the Chamber for their support and said he hopes Holland will be around to celebrate their 100^th anniversary in a few decades.

John Barnes, executive director for the Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, presented the Franklin County award to Focus Design Builders, a construction-based company offering a single point of contact for design and construction services.

Founded in 2010 during an ebb in the construction industry, CEO Paul Eitel said it was faith that prompted him and his two business partners to start a construction business.

Three months into the business with $8 million in sales, Eitel said that faith paid off. The company now estimates 300-400 families benefit from the revenue generated by their small business alone.

Jonathan Williams, project developer for Focus Design Builders, also mentioned the education he received at Vance-Granville Community College before transferring to a four-year university.

US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC receives the 2018 Franklin County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Aurora Birch, Tom Birch and Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency. (WIZS Photo)

“I’m proof that you can receive a quality education here locally,” Williams said in support of VGCC.

Granville County’s award recipient, US 98.3/Lakes Media LLC was presented their award by Sandra Dean Pruitt, president of Granville Insurance Agency.

Tom Birch, president, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. Launched in Oxford in 2005 and expanding to South Boston in 2006, Birch said the station has approximately 45,000 listeners today.

Birch also proclaimed that “radio is alive and well” and is still the most effective medium of all reach platforms, including television, in the constantly-evolving communications game.

Warren County Chamber Chair Kathleen Derring presented the Warren County award to Hardware Café manager Haley Paynter.

Hardware Cafe receives the 2018 Warren County Small Business of the Year award. Left to right: Haley Paynter and Kathleen Derring, chair of Warren Chamber. (WIZS Photo).

Located in downtown Warrenton, the previous hardware store, now affectionately known by locals as the “red and black” café, has quite the history, including a recent change in management with Paynter at the helm.

Derring said this award was “a long time coming” for the Hardware Café and explained that as a small business owner herself, she knew that loving what you do is essential for success.

Held in conjunction with National Small Business Week, the annual luncheon highlighted and supported what Henderson-Vance Chamber Chair Nancy Wykle referred to as “the backbone of our community and our economy both nationally and locally, small business.”

Community Voices Leadership Program Announces Remaining Session Dates

May 10, 2019/by WIZS Staff

Community Voices Leadership Development Training for Vance County

This training series is designed for:

People who want to be trained to help others to discuss critical community issues.
People who want to create a shared vision for their community’s future.
People who are interested in learning good listening and communication skills.
People who are willing to volunteer their time to implement a community action plan in support of this community effort.

The training session began with a tremendous kick-off session on April 9, 2019, and we want to keep the momentum going. The sessions will be held nearly once a week and will run through late-June over the next 7 to 8 weeks. Members of our community who have been trained to serve as facilitators for this program will be running the sessions. We plan to conclude the training program with an Action Forum & Graduation in June after the holiday season.

Sessions are held at the Vance Co. Regional Farmers Market, 210 Southpark Drive in Henderson at 6 p.m. on the scheduled dates below. Some adjustments may be made to the schedule as needed.

April 9:

Kick-Off Session

Working Together to Build a Strong Community